Classic Tomato Soup with a Twist

Ok. Ya'll talked me into it. This is a combination of recipes featured in Fine Cooking magazine {hubby surprised me with a subscription for my birthday}. Don't skip the roasted red pepper. It really gives the soup a nice smokiness and depth of flavor & is simple to do yourself {see instructions below}.

2 T. EVOO
1 T. butter
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 T. flour
3 c. lower salt chicken broth {I just buy a 14 oz. can then add 1 c. water & 1 bullion cube to make 3 c.}
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper, coarsely chopped**
1 1/2 t. sugar
1 sprig fresh thyme {if you have it, or I just use a couple large pinches of dried thyme}
1/4 t. each salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring to avoid lumps. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, sugar, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat while stirring the mixture to make sure that the flour is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig {if using}. Let cool briefly and then puree in two or three batches in a blender or food processor. {Or if you have a stick blender, like I do, use it! Just puree it right in the pot.} Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm, but not hot. OAMC Alert: The mag says it can be frozen for up to three months.

**To roast your own pepper, just turn your stove top burner on low and set the pepper right on the burner. Turn periodically until charred on all sides. Place in bowl covered with plastic wrap for 5 minutes to steam off the skin. Peel. Cut off the top & take out the seeds. Voila!

Today I am going to try to make this Basil Coulis {pronounced coo-lee} to drizzle over: In food processor, combine 1 c. packed basil leaves, 1 clove garlic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. With processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 c. EVOO, plus 2 T. more if needed. Can be made 2 or 3 days ahead, storing in the refrigerator and bringing to room temperature before using.

Enjoy!

Cooking Without an Oven

Yeah. ASK ME HOW I KNOW. Remember the saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." Well, I realize how much I do love baking. Call me weird, but I even bake pizza rolls & chicken fingers when I could just put them in the micro. Everything just tastes better baked. So, in case you ever find yourself without an oven {three weeks and counting, folks!}, here are some ideas of meals you could make:

Tacos
Chili
Any kind of soup: I recently made a yummy homemade Tomato soup ;>)
Breakfast for dinner: Sausage, Bacon, Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast, Eggs
Pasta: last night it was this, or Spaghetti, or Mac & Cheese
Pan-seared Chicken w/sides
Anything in the Crockpot: I've made this a few times {OAMC!!}
Sandwiches & Salad

I wished it weren't so freezing out, or else I'd be out grilling every night. Thankfully, my oven-less days will be coming to an end next weekend. We are inheriting a hand-me down stove from the in-laws. Gotta love a free solution!

Sew and Sew: Resources

Seems like more and more people I know are either taking up sewing or picking it up & improving their skills. This excites me to no end! Nothing better than to talk with a friend about something you both enjoy. I, myself, love learning from other more experienced sewers, like my grandma and my mother-in-law, and would love to share what I've learned with others as well. Here is a list of some of my favorite tutorials or sewing resources:

Sew, Mama, Sew blog : there is a link in my sidebar to this also. Every month they feature something new. I *loved* the Handmade Holidays series {30 posts worth of tutorials in this one link, ya'll} for gift-giving inspiration {not to early to start for next year}!

Tiered Skirt Tutorial: Sew easy! You know I've made like 10 of these so far. Always a perfect fit!

Installing a Zipper: Just in case those zippers leave you clammy with nervousness, this will calm your fears.

Making a Zippered Pouch: These could make great little gifts for all walks of life!

Baby Sewing: Lots of neat tutes here, like slings & diaper bags & sheets and more!

More Tutes than You can shake a stick at. Seriously.

Coffee Cozy: Haven't made one yet. But I think all my Starbuck-ers will be getting them for Christmas next year. Sew cute!

Bagsket Tutorial: I just made one last week. It's uber-cute! I'll post it when I get a minute.

Craftbits: Lots of goodies here. Not just for sewing either. Check it out.

Craftster: See what others have made & learn from their mistakes or process in the forums. I particularly enjoy the Purses, Bags, Wallets forums and the Kids Completed Projects and Kids Sewing Discussions.

I think that's quite enough to keep us all busy for sometime now, don't you agree? I enjoy several blogs as well for serious inspiration, such as Sugar Shop, Craft Apple, Pink Chalk Studio, & Pink Lemonade Boutique. Have a lovely weekend & happy creating!

P.S. If you're in love with a blog or tute that I didn't mention, please share with me & the rest of the group ;>)

Preparing the Way

I hate driving at night. Maybe it is because I do not have binocular vision. Maybe the inadequate headlights on my car have something to do with it. Maybe it is because I don't do it that often. Whatever the reason, I just don't like it. What's worse than driving at night? Driving at night on snowy roads! This doesn't happen to me often, but it was the case last Friday night while returning home from a night out with a near and dear friend. The twenty-five minute trip home was terribly unpleasant. I was praying nearly the whole way home while trying to stay focused on the white line. A deer on my edge of the road nearly gave me a coronary! I was extremely thankful for one thing: that other cars had gone before me to prepare the way. It made my drive, although still difficult, a little easier. I was so relieved to have someone else's tracks to follow in, instead of having to forge a new path.

The same thing has happened in our lives recently. On Friday, February 1st, hubster was "laid off". It wasn't anything personal. The company owners told him what a hard worker he is & what a great employee that he had been. They said they tried to hold off as long as they could, but they couldn't hold off any longer. They gave him a small severance {our first big blessing in a string of many} and there were three other severance checks on the desk. He wasn't the only one. They told him they would give him a good reference and would do whatever they could to help him if he needed it.

I. Was. Shocked. I knew changes were coming. He had told me so. I was thinking: promotion! Hubster sat me down and broke the news. {Note to self: Next time someone sits me down to tell me something, run, don't walk to the nearest exit.} My mental tape basically stopped and I sat there wondering what happened to my anticipated promotion. I never considered that maybe God had something better in mind. We had gone through job loss before, when I was 8 months pregnant with baby #2, just 3 short years ago. It did make this time a little easier, but nonetheless, stressful.

I had decided a long time ago that it would take much more than this to shake my faith, although, I don't want to test my limits! I knew that God would take care of us. Somehow. I am thankful that hubby would periodically be thinking about a Plan B. Now and again, he would come home telling me that if he ever lost his job, he would do such & such. I didn't think that we would ever need Plan B. The very next day, hubby had a meeting with a business contact/friend that he had made by networking at the old job. And over dinner, he announced his plan to start his own business. His business contact would be his first client. And so it was settled. He would start "working" in one week, from home no less! {My first thought was: Am I going to have to cook 3 meals a day for you??}

In less than a week, we had a business name, we incorporated, received our tax ID number, created business cards & hubby started working for himself. I know that this would not have been possible had God not gone before us to "prepare the way". Everything fell into place so nicely, it was almost hard to believe. It still all seems to good to be true. As hubby puts it, we are still waiting for someone to "torpedo our boat". Ever feel that way? Like God has given you something or done something for you that really is UNbelievable?

So that is where we stand. Feeling undeserving, yet nervous and excited all at the same time. Hubby can't wait to be able to work at the park and the beach and the McDonald's playland while enjoying his children. {He doesn't need to be at home for this job, just available by cell phone.} I can't wait for him to enjoy homeschooling with the kids by giving guitar or Spanish lessons. We both can't wait to see what God has in store for us next!

Jeremiah 33:3 ~ "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for a hope and a future."

Aw, Shucks

I have been feeling really blessed by all my friends this week, who rallied around me for various reasons, including turning 30 and hubster losing his job last Friday {more on that to come}. Old friends, new friends, small group friends, internet friends. I have really been striving to be a better friend myself, so I'm feeling very loved in return. Thanks guys! Seriously. I also was surprised to learn that Jeanette has nominated me as her blogger of the month. Aw, shucks. *blush* I am glad that I could use this venue to offer some inspiration and helpful ideas, whether it be for crafts or for domestic engineering or womanhood in general. Thanks for the nomination!

Have you been blessed by a friend this week?

Easy Come, Easy Go

She was beautiful. I lovingly created her pattern myself, from scratch. I ordered some special fabrics online. I quilted the bottom of the front & back and made my first attempt at adding piping. She did lay listlessly in my "to finish" pile for some time, but once I got my new machine, she was one of the things to get finished first. I was saving her for summer. She would be perfect for a trip to the beach or the park. I hung her in my closet. Then.....I got impatient. I thought using her now would lift my spirits. I packed her up carefully for a trip to my in-laws house. That would be the first and last time I would use her.

My SIL: Wow! Nice bag!

Me: Thanks ;>)

SIL: Can I buy a bag from you like that? I'll give you $20.

Me: You mean, a bag like this one or this one?

SIL: No. That one.

Me: Um....ok.

So, I unpacked her & I'll hopefully see her now & again when I come to visit. Here she was:

P.S. Thanks to my summery bag, I have an order for another one in different fabrics from one of hubby's cousins!

Sew and Sew: American Girl

Yep. I'm addicted. My sister-in-law thinks I'm a nut. My niece got an American Girl doll for Christmas, so what did I get her as a gift? Handmade doll clothes of course. The great thing about sewing for a doll is that if you are a beginning sewer, it will give you a good idea of how things are generally constructed. It's great for people who get easily bored with projects {like me} because they are relatively quick to make. Also, they require very little fabric to make + 99 cent patterns = inexpensive gift! Here are some things I've made so far:

:: denim jacket & jeans ::

:: red plaid jumper {kinda matches my niece's school uniform} ::

:: purple fleece jogging suit {ya know, for when the doll exercises} ::

:: embroidered fleece coat {my favorite} ::

:: purple dress & matching headband ::

I have been using Simplicity patterns 7083 and 4786. They all fit perfectly! I also was alerted to the fact that all the old patterns that were sold with some of the dolls are available at the agplaythings website. I've downloaded Molly's clothes & Josefina's clothes. You have to print out the patterns on multiple pages & then piece them together, but hey, they're free. These little projects are seriously fun and give me a quick sewing fix. Can't wait til there's a doll in my family. Maybe for my girl's 7th birthday............or when I turn 31 :>)

She's Three!

This weekend my little Sienna-pie turned 3! We celebrated with a Ratatouille themed party, complete with a really amazing cake from Super Target and lots of presents. Here's the recap in photos:
My {uber-wonderful} family also surprised me with some balloons & a cake of my own, since my {BIG} birthday is on February 5th. {The big 3-0, ya'll!} The best part? A superdy, duperdy, awesome new sewing machine! Yippee for me! It's got lots of cool bells and whistles. It's like getting a new Hummer after driving around a used Pinto. I see a lot of sewing in my future. I've already finished up a great summery bag that was languishing in my works-in-progress pile. I also sewed up a groovy tiered skirt for Tatiana that has been cut-out for forever. Hopefully I can get to a fabric store to buy some Valentine's Day fabric for matching skirts for the girls.

It was a very lovely day, despite all the work involved {on top of not sleeping as much as I'm used to}. I did tell Hubster that since my birthday falls on a Tuesday, we will have to do a little something at the house ON that day plus maybe a little going out the weekend before. A girl only turns 3-0 once ya know!

Have you....

....had your quiet time today? No. Seriously. If you haven't, please don't read my blog. I much rather you spend a few minutes praying or reading your Bible, then hear me babble about my latest craft project. In an attempt to realign my priorities, I have set Proverbs 31 Ministries Daily Devotions as my home page, instead of having Yahoo! tempt me into reading my email. That way, when I plop myself down in front of my computer in the morning, I will be reminded what I should be doing or have done before I go blog-surfing. {On a side note, if you decide to join me in setting your homepage to Proverbs31 & reading their daily devotionals, I'd love to correspond with you via email to sharpen each other's iron, so to speak.}

I loved today's devotional on having a rag tag soul. So much of what was written resonated with me, particularly these parts:

I was so full of knowledge and yet completely starved of experiencing God Himself.

And I dared to admit that I was not a woman of faith. For if I was completely honest, I lived a life that required no faith at all.

I mean, that second part really got to me. Let me face it. My life is safe. He hasn't been asking me to make seemingly impossible choices. I want to experience Him again for the first time. I want more of Him. I really like the last paragraph as well:

One thing I do know is that a few years ago the world was asking, “Is Jesus real?” That's not the question any longer. I'm convinced the question the world now asks is: "Does Jesus work?" Oh God, that my life could answer this question with a resounding yes, is the very beat of my fragile heart, and the song of my rag tag soul.

My prayer is that others would be able to see the same in me.

That Jesus works.

It's Digital!

I started digital scrapbooking back when my second daughter was born. I received Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 {the same program I use today} with a printer I purchased. I love digital scrapbooking because there are lots of free downloads on the internet, you can use your papers and embellishments over and over, there are no supplies to take out or clean up or have little touchy fingers getting into , and for some reason, it seems faster. I don't have to worry about cutting the pictures the wrong way or screwing up a beautiful piece of paper. This is actually the first digital layout I have done in about 2 years, but I came across the Christmas kit as a free download & was just inspired to whip something up. I want Sebastian to have just as memories preserved as the girls do!

Journaling says: This Christmas was made extra special because of your arrival. Every time I gazed at you, I could not help but think about Mary and the birth of the baby Jesus. What a wonder it must have been to behold Him for the first time! I feel that same sense of wonder when I look at you & think about the miracle that you are! And as cheesy as it may sound, a baby is really the best gift that this Mama could ask for. *heart* Mom

P.S. Thanks to all who commented on the last post. I really am feeling so much better now that I am talking about it & know that others have been there. You bloggy buddies are the best!

the WHOLE truth

"I'm so blue-hoo-hoo, blue-hoo-hoo, blue-hoo-hoo-HOO, I'm so blue, I don't know what to do."
~Madame Blueberry

I received an email recently from a dear friend with "the truth" as the subject line. The email contained four small, but potent words: How are you doing? So I thought I'd share the truth here. I'm a little blue. Maybe it's just my hormones trying to return back to normal. Maybe it's trying to find the time that a busy household requires to take care of everything and everyone. Maybe it's the mental and physical fogginess that sleep-deprivation causes. Hubby keeps telling me that we're all "still adjusting". Well, I wish we would all just adjust and then move on already! He cares for me so much that I have a sneaky suspicion that he called the aforementioned friend and asked her to check up on me. He also called my mom and surprised me by having her spend the night on Friday so we could go to dinner & our small group {with the nursing baby, of course}! He tries to let me get some time to myself so I can scrapbook, think about sewing {my sewing machine got sick and died about 3 weeks ago, but that is another saga}, or just lay zombie-like on the couch, like I did last night. He is trying his best to take care of me and the children, but nonetheless, sometimes I just want to cry or scream or just hop in the car and drive away from it all. I think sleep deprivation makes it a lot harder for me to control my emotions as well! I am praying that, like I mentioned in my last FUNschooling post, that I would, Do my best and let God take care of the rest. I am praying that somehow God would fill in those places in the girls' lives that need a little filling. I pray that He would give me this day, my daily bread. So now you know, in the midst of all my other light-hearted or crafty-type posts, how I'm really doing.

How long before you felt like you fell into a rhythm with a new baby? Is there anything that you would do or tell yourself to get through the blues?

FUNschooling

Quite a few people have asked me whether or not we are homeschooling during our time of transition with baby #3. The answer is no, and yes. ;>) I thought I'd share what we've been doing because I find it both fun & educational & if your kids go to public school, it might be a great way to keep their brains active during summer break. Instead of using our regular curriculum, I use a different "resource" for each of the subjects I want to cover:

Bible ~ One story out of The Bible for Mothers & Daughters. This is such a cute book! The kids love the colorful illustrations. The stories are short enough to hold their attention & their is a concept to glean from each one about Becoming a Woman of God. There is a time for the Parent to share at the end about their own personal experiences. They have these for Father & Daughters and for the Sons as well.

Phonics ~ I have a phonics set for the LeapPad. If someone I know wants to borrow it for their child for the summer, let me know. It has 12 books and goes through all the consonants, vowels, blends, etc. We do a couple of pages a day.

Reading ~ For comprehension, we are using Brainquest Reading for First Grade. I could go on and on about how much we *love* Brainquest, but I'll spare ya'll. On some cards are stories/poems, followed by comprehension questions based on the story. Other cards have reading based questions like things about punctuation, opposites, syllables, antonyms, fixing the sentence, and such. Great way to introduce new concepts too!

We are also reading a few pages a day from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I love doing funny voices for all the characters ;>)

Craft/Activity Time ~ I'm bustin' out all the stuff that I have stored or laying around. She gets to choose from coloring, water painting, sewing {great felt puppet kits for beginners with pre-punched holes & plastic needles}, blocks, puzzles, tangrams, play-do, etc. I allot about 15-30 minutes. I can do other things during this time if need be.

Science ~ My mom got her the book, The Everything Science Book for Kids, which I am going to do about 1-2 activities per week from. Seems really neat! It covers different areas of science, chemistry, physics, etc, and requires items that are either already around the house or easily procured.

Math ~ This is the one holdover from our normal curriculum. We do about 2 pages per day in our text/workbook.

I think the reason this works so well is because it involves different learning methods of stimulation, from workbooks, to hands-on, to auditory activities. I am trying not to sweat whether or not she is learning by leaps and bounds. As long as the brain is kept active, I am living by the motto, "Do your best and let God take care of the rest." Good motto for life in general, I believe.

She's also learning plenty about baby-care and all that's involved, but that's another post.....

Good Deals

I guess I will be starting off 2008 with some good deals that maybe you have not heard of yet. Have you discovered Redbox? Maybe I am just the last to know, what considering my sleep deprived fog and all. Of course borrowing movies from your local library is the most cost effective way to go {free, folks!}, but if you enjoy new releases and renting instead of forking over huge amounts of cash to go to the theatre, then consider the $1 a day rentals Redbox has to offer. You can even view & reserve the available titles online. Upon arriving at the machine {imagine a vending machine for DVDs}, you swipe your debit/credit card & walk away with your rental. You are simply charged $1 a day until you return the movie. Even if you keep it for two or three {!} nights, you'll still come away less expensive than the big rental stores. You can also conveniently return the movies at any Redbox location. Sign up with your email today for a free $1 rental! And you can double all the coupon & free rental goodness by having your spouse sign up too. If you live near me in real life, then rest assured that your local Kmart, Wal-Mart, or Jewel has a Redbox in it!

I was able to browse through Menard's the other day. All Christmas stuff is 50% off. Not the biggest discount out there I'm sure, but they have some beau-ti-ful decorations, especially for the tree. Hopefully I can get back there to scoop up some of it!

The best deal I've come across recently was at Aldi. They had 2-packs of LeapFrog games for $4.99! I thought these would make great gifts to add to your stash for future kid birthdays. You could even break up the pack, which would come out to $2.50 per game. Hard to beat that! For some reason I didn't buy any, but I am trying to figure out how to get back there so I can get me some ;>)

Any great sales out there? Are there any 80%-off Christmas decorations left at Hobby Lobby?

And the Winner is....

As picked out of the bucket by my little helper ;>) Send me your mailing address & I'll pop your package in the mail as soon as I can. Thanks to everyone who keeps reading my blog!

Happy 200th Post...well sorta

Well, I didn't realize that blogger adds up the "drafts" of posts that you start, but don't publish, so technically this is about post 198, but I figured, enough with the suspense already. I also didn't realize, when I first began, that I would enjoy blogging as much as I do. I originally created this with the intent to post cheesy family photos & keep my loved ones updated on the ongoings of our life. I still try to do this, but it seems like blogs sometimes take on lives of their own. I've made some really opinionated posts, some informative ones, and {hopefully} some inspiring ones as well. At this juncture I hope that my blog serves to help me achieve one of my life's missions: to encourage other moms/women to be Godly, creative homemakers and to share in my pursuit of the same thing. Thank you to all {guys too!} who enjoy this journey with me, whether you were here from the beginning or have just joined us. I created this little duo to give away to express my appreciation:

::Patchwork NotePad Holder & Patchwork Tissue Holder::

::Inside of the NotePad Holder::

::Cute Girly Tissues::

Simply leave a comment by midnight on Saturday, January 5th, and I will pick a winner at random. Good luck & God bless!!

Happy 2008!

As the West Coast rang in the New Year, I was awakened to my six-year old telling me that she had just thrown up in the toilet. Phew, I thought. Poor thing. At least she made it to the bathroom. No icky sheets or jammies to have to deal with. Um. Yeah. The sheets & jammies would have been much more pleasant than what I discovered. She almost made it to the toilet. The bathroom walls were covered about 3 feet up. Literally. The World's Greatest Husband did the cleaning up. He has a much stronger stomach than I do, but even he was gagging & choking & had to wear a kerchief over his face. He even had to remove one of the baseboards to do a good job. Poor man was awake for another 1 1/2 hours because his stomach hurt so bad because of the stench. I hope this is not any sort of indication of what the year has in store for us.

So as we move on to 2008, I say good-bye to all 2007 has had for us. Good-bye....

.....pregnancy with my first {enormous} son....
.....year one of homeschooling & start of year two....
.....diapers for Sienna.....
.....being a mom of two girls....
.....year 29 of my life....
.....year 9 of marriage.....

And hopefully I will say a BIG "hello" to many new and wonderful exciting things that this year has to bring. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me and my family.

Anything particular you are looking forward to in '08? Or something you are happy to say good-bye to in '07?

P.S. My 200th post is approaching here shortly & I've made something lovely to give away....

Celebration Burn-out

Does anyone else get tired, I mean, tired of celebrating? And I am typically a people-person, get-together, celebrating {especially when food is involved}, kind of gal, but I am really getting holiday-weary. We celebrated with my mom, step-dad, and brother on Sunday. My mom is really the best. She brought over the entire holiday meal {ham with all the fixings} and cooked it and cleaned up afterwards, knowing I would not be able to do it with a newborn in the house. I did manage to make some spiced nuts and these to accompany the meal. {Alicia is to blame for introducing us to the Oreo Truffles. I am addicted!! I am going to make them in other flavors for as many future gatherings as possible!} The hubster, kiddos & I all took our first family photo in front of the tree, as that was the only gift my mom requested this year. {I will post it as soon as I get a chance.} Then, shortly after my mom & step-dad left, my dad & step-mom arrived to spend the nights until Christmas day. My dad did an amazing job of cooking breakfast, an awesome Christmas Eve dinner {prime rib, folks!}, and cleaning up afterwards. This *somewhat*, but not quite, made up for the fact that they let my kids open all their Christmas gifts from them on Christmas Eve morning while hubster & I were still sleeping. I. Was. Mad. But we won't spoil all the holiday cheer by "going there". On Christmas Day, my dad & his wife left in the morning & my sister-in-law arrived with my niece by mid-afternoon. I cooked Christmas Day dinner {roasted chicken, people!} and my sister-in-law got some much appreciated baby time with Sebastian. The girls went to my in-laws to spend the night last night & will be there again tonight, giving me a much needed break. Seriously. Great gift! My grandma & aunt are coming over to deliver gifts and "celebrate" tomorrow during the day {barring a snowstorm} and all the in-laws are coming over on Saturday to "celebrate". All this celebrating is tiring me out. I guess it's the combination of my parents being divorced which doubles the holiday events, added to the in-laws and all the other extended family that we are expected to celebrate with. Christmas for my family lasts, like, half the month of December. And this year, we aren't even traveling anywhere, as everyone is coming to visit us! I really can't wait until after we "celebrate" the New Year and can return to some semblance of life as usual.

Anyone else out there tired of celebrating?

Holiday Magic: The Out-takes

Here are the photos that didn't make it into our holiday cards. These are so funny, it makes me want to make a scrapbook {huh? what's that? do I even remember how to do that?} page out of them. Seems like it's just the one child that is having a hard time taking a good photo. Can't imagine trying to get even more children to pose nicely for a picture. Good thing I know how to use Photoshop. I may just have to cut & paste the good poses together!

And, drumroll please, the winning photo:

And here it is all dressed up in the template I designed:

Here's hoping all your holiday photos are filled with love & laughter!

Holiday Magic: Trimming the Tree

I made sure to put up the tree on Thanksgiving Weekend. I wanted to make sure that it got done before the baby's arrival. Of course, half the lights weren't working & required two separate trips to the Wally World. Half the day later, we finally got the tree up & decorated. Take a gander:

::finding the perfect spot::

::she was *so* into decorating::

::daddy helps Sienna to hang a few high up::

::holiday decorating burn-out::

The Big Day

a.k.a Birth Story ~ Part Two

Friendly Caution: If you are uncomfortable reading about dilation or get weirded out by the word "cervix", then just go ahead and skip this post!

So after the deer incident, I wake up Wednesday morning with mild contractions. I didn't suspect anything other than those pesky Braxton-Hicks, but these were accompanied by a backache, giving me the sneaky suspicion that this was the real deal. They were about 10-12 minutes apart, sometimes longer, so I wasn't sure whether this was actual "labor". I called the hubster around 10:30 am & told him I wasn't feeling well. I mentioned the contractions & he requested that I call the doctor's office. I was advised not to come to the hospital until they were 5 minutes apart. {Good thing that God had planned for me to have a doctor's appointment already that afternoon or I would've had an unplanned homebirth.} I told hubby to come home early to take care of me. I rested. I Knitted. I Sudoku-ed. {I *love* Sudoku!}

My appointment was at 3:30 pm. We all went as a family, hoping that maybe the doctor would send me to the hospital. I saw Dr. Z. The nurse asked how I was feeling & I told her that I thought I might be in *early* labor. So Dr. Z examines me. She has a puzzled look on her face during the examination. I am thinking, "Oh Great. I am still 2-3 cm or something like that." She informs me that I am "at least" 6 cm, but she can't really tell because one side of my cervix is completely dilated. She asks if there is any chance I can go directly to the hospital. {She told me the next morning that she didn't want to make me nervous, but was really thinking that I better get to the hospital, like, NOW.} We all arrive at the hospital, my mom meeting us there to retrieve the children.

I am admitted & checked by Dr. F {new doctor in the practice if you are following my abbreviations}, who tells me that I am 8 cm. WHAT???!!! This is seriously unbelievable to me. UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE. During my last labor I was at 2 cm and already in a lot of pain. The doctor and nurse kept asking me if I was sure I didn't want anything for the pain. It was bizarre. I wasn't even really in that much pain. I felt like a woman from the Baby Story, just la-de-da during labor. I was positive for Group B Strep, so I needed to have pencilin & waited 3 1/2 hours before my water could be broken. Dr. F thought I would go pretty fast after my water had been broken. I tried pushing at 9 1/2 cm, but with no luck. My contractions were pretty strong at this point, but not unbearable. I did ask for an epidural while waiting to dilate the rest of the way. I didn't realize that the anesthesiologist would need to be called in. Yeah. Would've liked that bit of information a little earlier in the process. I waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. By this time I was feeling like I had to push & really, my body just couldn't help it anymore. Dr. F says, "Go ahead & try pushing." I push & much to my disbelief {and the doctor's too} I feel his head coming out. The bed hasn't been broken down yet. Doc doesn't have on any surgical apparel. She says, "Please wait. Let me get my gown on." as she runs across the room to retrieve the surgical tray. Through my bloody-murder-type scream I tell her I can't wait. She says, "Please at least let me get my gloves on." Again. Body. Just. Won't. Wait. His head is out & with one more push his body splashes out & doc delivers him while sitting on the bed. More disbelief when I read the scale from across the room. Eight pounds, fifteen ounces. I. Can't. Believe. It. Doc shows me her hand & I just have to laugh as she managed to get her hand into the palm of the glove & delivered the baby with the fingers of the glove just hanging off. Funny. Just as amazing is that I need no stitches. WHAT?! After delivering a nearly nine pound baby?!! Amazing. Really. No drugs. No stitches. A nine pounder. God really does exist ~ LOL!

In all seriousness though, I really could see God's hand in caring for me that day. I had many people praying for me & I am sure that that made a lot of difference. I still can not believe that I was able to deliver such a big baby, drug-free & with no stitches. It makes me feel like I conquer the world now. I hadn't set out to do that, but it just sort of happened upon me. My body feels like it has had a much quicker recovery. I don't know if it's just because it gets easier with each child or if it's due to the type of labor I had.

So now you know. It's not that every birth story isn't a miracle in and of itself, but for me, this one really stands out & I am still in amazement over the whole thing. I leave you with this,

"Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare